Welcome to this online Elul spirituality retreat, written by Rabbi Marcia Plumb and sponsored by Congregation Mishkan Tefila. Every day during the month of Elul, you will receive a ‘Word to Live By’. The words will be in alphabetical order, similar to the Ashamnu prayer during the Yamim Noraim. The Ashamnu lists our sins from the past, but our Elul words contain hope for the future.
You can use the word, and the teaching that comes with it, to set an intention for your day, to help you live your day based on the word. You may want to share it with a friend, who has need of just that word. You may be busy, and simply notice the word in the subject heading, then, skip to the next email….and that is fine too. Noticing can be enough.
At the end of the month, at Rosh Hashanah, I hope, because of our Words, our hearts will be softer, our minds more open to new ways of thinking, and our actions more compassionate.
With prayers for healing and renewal, Rabbi Marcia Plumb, Congregation Mishkan Tefila, Brookline MA.
Yearning/Ratzon
One summer, my family and I rented a houseboat to go down the canals in southern England. The canals were narrow, and the boat slid in between the rough banks of the river. Everyone took turns steering the boat, except me. I was scared. Steering the boat was tricky, as we could easily hit the bank and damage the boat. The person steering had to be a very good judge of space, distance, and speed, all at the same time. That wasn’t me. I knew I would be the one to bang into the sides, and cost us a lot of money if I damaged the boat.
But I really wanted to do it. Every day of the holiday, I would cheer as family members sailed us smoothly around bends, past other boats, through locks, and gently kept us steady. And every day, I wished I had the skill to do it.
Finally, on day 4 of the 5 day holiday, I let my desire take over. I wanted to do it, so I would. I got advice from family about how to drive it, and I took the ‘captain’s chair’ at a long straight section of the river. I went ever so slowly at first. The dog walkers on the banks went faster than we sailed. Gradually, I gained confidence and sped up. All was going fine until we had to pass another houseboat. To cut a long story short, I did hit the banks a few times, it took several tries, but I steered us successfully. My steering was not perfect. Others in the family were far better at it than me. But my ratzon, my will and desire, gave me the determination and drive to try anyway. And I loved it. I can now say that I can captain a houseboat. It’s a small thing, but it taught me to let ratzon help me push through the boundaries I put up for myself.
Sometimes we can’t achieve what we want, but sometimes, wanting something hard enough, and working for it, will help us change ‘unable’ to ‘able.’
Rav Nachman of Breslov once said, “Ein dovor omeid bifnei haratzon – Nothing stands in the way of one’s will.”
Truly yearning for change in ourselves can lead us to change.
Spiritual Practice
Today, choose something we really want to do or achieve, that we think we can’t do, that others may have been able to do (living forever cannot be one of our choices…). Today, put aside all the reasons we think we can’t do it. We can pick those up again tomorrow. Just for today, believe we can do it. After believing it for a few hours, think about the steps we’d need to do it.
What happens when we let ratzon take the lead? What happens when we choose to attempt what we yearn for?
Mussar @ Mishkan Tefila
Congregation Mishkan Tefila 384 Harvard St. Brookline, MA 02446
